Start next term at full tilt or you will join Brady bunch
GAVIN BERRY, SPORTS WRITER
“WE didn’t get much luck when I was there. We seemed to keep tripping over when it came to important hurdles. We played three semi-finals in my time and lost them all.
“I’m not going to start making excuses but a rub of the green would have helped us on all three occasions. We didn’t get it and the results – all 1-0 defeats – are now in the history books.
“I would dearly have loved to have given the Celtic fans a trophy in my time there. The reason I moved out was to give someone else a crack at providing the goods.”
The words of the last manager of either Old Firm club – and only the second in the entire history of Glasgow’s footballing giants – to fail to win a trophy in his first two seasons and start a third campaign.
It came from Liam Brady as he reflected on his time as Celtic boss.
But it could easily be Steven Gerrard now as he has come up just short in his quest for major silverware.
Following Saturday’s Scottish Cup defeat at Hearts he will, barring a massive Hoops collapse or shock Europa League win, finish his second season at Ibrox empty-handed.
Gerrard will face the media today ahead of the visit of Hamilton where talk will inevitably turn to how he sees his future.
If he does start next season in charge he is almost certain to be the first in Rangers’ 147-year history to survive two trophyless seasons at the start of his reign. Only William Wilton in the early 1900s and Bill Struth in the 1950s have suffered the same and remained at the helm but both their barren spells came after they had already led the club to major honours.
Across both Old Firm clubs only Jimmy McGrory and Brady were there for the start of a third season after failing to win a trophy in their first two.
McGrory recovered to win five major honours but Brady’s situation is more comparable to Gerrard’s.
Both threw themselves in at the deep end for their first managerial jobs in a city where there can only be one winner.
Brady paid the price with the end arriving early in his third season after defeat at St Johnstone on a miserable night in October 1993.
Gerrard couldn’t afford a similar scenario next season and would have to hit the ground running as fans wouldn’t accept more hard luck stories.
It was Brendan Rodgers who summed it up best when Gerrard was appointed Rangers boss.
The former Celtic boss said: “Only one of you can win and you have to make sure you are the one.”